Review, Review, Review

Just having drafted the PIP doesn’t mean that the employee is free-and-clear; now comes the time to “do the work.” And while they’re doing the work, you’re checking in with them, on a regular cadence, to see how the work is going. You can could use your weekly 1:1 with the employee to do the check-in, but if HR wants to be a part of those check-ins, you’ll probably want to set up a separate meeting to do that—you want your 1:1s to remain something that’s between just you and your employee. (And, honestly, the employee would probably like to know they get some time with you that isn’t 100% focused on their PIP.)

Your participation in the PIP is every bit as important as your employee’s participation in the PIP. If you don’t review their progress regularly, you may as well start termination proceedings right now. This is the time when your employee needs your active participation the most, and if you don’t go the extra mile to show that their success is important to you, then they’re going to walk away from the process, concluding that you’re a crappy partner. (And they’d be right.) Make these meetings a priority. Refuse meetings that would conflict with them. Move them only if your employee needs to move them.

Part of your job here will be as a cheerleader. Praise their progress. Find the things that they’re doing right, and give them the positive reinforcement. You’re also their coach. When they’re stuck, you’re there to help get them unstuck. This is a perfect opportunity to do a little pair programming (or debugging) and get your hands back in the code. (Make sure you’re hands are off the keyboard, though; they’ll learn better if they do all the driving.) Managers and employees who go through this process together often forge a deep connection by the time it reaches its conclusion, and you’ll probably have a deeper understanding of your direct than you did when you started.

Cadence here will matter. If you don’t meet often enough, you won’t get a good enough picture of their progress. Too often, and you’ll probably end up neglecting your other duties. Given that most PIPs have a 1-3 month timeframe (and most seem to go a minimum of 2 months, which I think is reasonable), you probably want to meet with your direct once a week, minimum. Twice a week or even three times a week is not unreasonable, if they’re short meetings. Every day could be a bit much, but some of this will depend on your assessment of the situation.

And, as always, document, document, document. Take copious notes. You’re going to need them.